Jen Bartel

Thanks to the Netflix television show, Iron Fist is a character that's on a lot of people's minds, but not quite for the reasons Marvel may want. The casting of Finn Jones is regarded by many as an ill-conceived choice that adheres too closely to the comics and leans on tropes of the white…

Since it launched in March of 2015, Jem and the Holograms has met with a level of acclaim and popularity that few could have foreseen for the reboot of a 1980s TV animation property. In fact, it has surpassed the original show in the minds of many fans, as well as attracting readers who weren't…

Magical girls are special. They defend love and justice with a squad of their best friends, and they look cute while they're doing it. Their transformation sequences into their alter-egos are filled with sparkles. They remind us that the girly aesthetic is not a bad thing, and can actually be v…

Jem and the Holograms #21, by Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren, finds the Holograms' drummer Shana living out her dream of working in fashion in Milan, but the reality is not turning out to be as dreamy as she'd hoped. It turns out her fashion internship seems to consist mostly of fetc…

Comics and fashion have always had an interesting relationship, but comics have never centered fashion as much as Danielle Colman hopes to do in the upcoming anthology Couture, currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. Couture features the work of an impressive array of artists focusing on fashion a…

There are a lot of things manga does a lot better than the western comics scene. Whether it's stories about cooking, race cars or tennis, manga's genre diversity is through the roof. One area where manga really excels is in its portrayal of beefy dudes, but now the west is finally catching…

Glamour takes a twisted turn and glitter goes Goth in the upcoming Jem And The Holograms story arc 'Dark Jem', launching in Jem and the Holograms #11 from the reunited launch team of writer Kelly Thompson and artist Sophie Campbell, with variant covers by Jen Bartel. The storyline, unveile…

After only six issues, the cast of Jem and the Holograms has already had to deal with discovering a secret sentient supercomputer, creating an entire alternate persona for their stage-frightened lead singer, a battle of the bands, a massive food fight, three first dates, and --- in typical Jem fashi…